Mixed Martial Arts fans have been treated to many memorable walkouts as fighters showcase their creativity on their way to battle. Some walkouts will make you emotional, while others will connect with the inner warrior inside you.
This article will review some of the most iconic walkouts in fighting history and explore the stories behind them.
The Ten Most Iconic Walkouts In Fighting History
Let’s jump into memory lane and relive some of the most memorable walkouts in combat sports history:
1) Stamp Fairtex, ONE: Dreams Of Gold
There’s no such thing as a dull Stamp Fairtex entrance. The decorated Muay Thai fighter turned mixed martial artist always dances her way to the cage for her fights, but she brought two backup dancers along for the ride at ONE: Dreams of Gold.
All three ladies performed a choreographed dance as she walked to the cage, and she ended up scoring her first submission victory moments later, finishing Asha Roka with a rear-naked choke.
2) Georges St. Pierre, UFC 83
GSP was on the wrong side of one of the biggest upsets in mixed martial arts history when Matt Serra knocked him out at UFC 69, and Serra did everything in his power to make him wait as long as possible before getting a chance to reclaim his title.
The rematch was set for UFC 83 in Montreal, Canada.
Powered by his fellow countrymen, GSP came out in a red GI, bumping French rap and walking like a man on a mission. The crowd’s roar was incredible as Canada’s most famous fighter walked to the cage with a look that screamed Serra was in for a long night.
3) Yoshihiro “Sexyama” Akiyama, K-1 Premium 2006 Dynamite
Yoshihiro Akiyama brought his cool entrance walks to ONE championship, complete with his trademark entrance song, “Time to Say Goodbye.” His most memorable entrance was at K-1 Premium 2006 Dynamite, where he faced off against the legendary Kazushi Sakuraba.
It was an impressive display of showmanship, from an elevator bringing him up from underneath the stage to the army of students he had waiting for him. Of course, the signature synchronized bow came a few moments later before walking to the cage while holding hands with his cornermen.
There were no crazy stunts involved, but everyone who watched it live had goosebumps all over.
4) Israel Adesanya, UFC 276
Adesanya has emerged as one of the best entertainers in mixed martial arts, and he even managed to get the Ultimate Fighting Championship to change their rule on fighters not being allowed to use props for their entrances.
His notable entrances include the synchronized dance show he put on at UFC 243 before knocking out Robert Whitaker in the second round to win the middleweight title and his “Coming to America” themed entrance at UFC 248.
However, Adesanya’s most iconic walkout came at UFC 276, where he donned an “Undertaker” hat, held an urn, and walked out to the legendary wrestler’s theme music. The best part of the walkout was how well he played the role, even doing the legendary Undertaker hand raise as he reached the cage.
5) Rodtang Jitmuangnon, ONE: Dawn Of Heroes
Rodtang is another Muay Thai fighter who stays true to the sport’s history by dancing his way to the ring when he fights. He held nothing back when he faced up against Jonathan Haggerty at ONE: Dawn of Heroes, putting on a dance performance that Stamp Fairtex would have been proud of.
We wiggled his knees on his way to the cage before putting on a Muay Thai clinic against Haggerty.
6) Shannon Wiratchai, ONE: King Of The Jungle
Wiratchai always makes an impression every time he walks into the cage. He once donned a “Black Panther” costume to the cage and wore a costume that made it look like an alien was carrying him during his walkout. There’s never a dull moment when Wiratchai walks to the cage.
7) Alex Pereira, UFC 281
Alex Pereira came into the UFC with lots of hype primarily because of his two wins against the reining middleweight champion at the time, Israel Adesanya.
A stoic man who rarely has much to say, won many fans over as he marched forward slowly in his fighting stance, and tribal music engulfed the arena.
Pereira stopped a few steps into his entrance and fired an imaginary bow. He emitted a primal scream before entering the cage and becoming the first man to defeat Izzy in the middleweight division.
8) Rika Ishige, ONE Championship: Warrior Kingdom
Rika Ishige is one of the best at delivering memorable walkouts in ONE Championship. She loves cosplaying during entrances and has worn pretty cool costumes, like Bruce Lee‘s iconic yellow jumpsuit and Chun Le’s outfit from Street Fighter.
However, her most iconic walkout was when she donned the Pink Ranger costume and defeated a ninja before walking to the cage.
9) Prince Naseem vs. Vuyani Bungu
Prince Nassem Ahmed was one of the most entertaining boxers ever to lace up a pair of gloves, and he would have been an international superstar if he had fought during the social media era. Naseem was a big fan of trash talk, and he loved to put on a show before all of his fights, typically dancing his way into the ring and performing a front flip over the ropes to enter the ring.
Naseem’s most iconic walkout was riding a magic carpet to the ring to face Bungu. Okay, it wasn’t a real magic carpet, but the aesthetics were really cool. He went on to win his fight via fourth-round TKO to retain the WBO featherweight title.
10) Jung Chan-Sung “The Korean Zombie”
There was no theatrics or flash during The Korean Zombie’s final walkout, but that didn’t stop it from being one of the most memorable walkouts in MMA history. Fans knew it would be his last outing as he had announced his plans to retire, and he walked out to his usual theme music, “Zombie” by the Cranberries, as he always does, but this time, the entire Arena sang along as he walked to the cage to face Max Holloway.
Zombie got knocked out by Holloway in the third round, but that didn’t stop fans from giving him his flowers. The Arena was even louder as he walked out of the cage to Zombie, with the entire arena singing along as he embraced his wife and walked away from the sport. Many tough guys shed tears during the memorable moment.
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